1.8 Managing Information
IT systems will not make all the company internal information available. This means IT will not replace other means of exchanging information but just enhances it.
Information can most fittingly be defined as something that the receiver knows or would like to know.
Codified information is easily expressed but tacit knowledge requires experience, judgement, knack, wisdom and intuition.
University of Bath defines information management as:
The conscious process by which information is gathered and used to assist in decision making at all levels of an organisation.
This is a conscious process to assist decision making, should start with the planning process and keep the decisions to be made in mind.
Dimensions:
Formal — informal
Textual — pictorial
Quantitative — qualitative
Verbal — paper — electronic
Individual — aggregated
Information is difficult to count, who owns it and how valuable is information => hard to cost.
Information quality can be judged by:
\- Relevance: the recipient is able to use it to perform more efficiently than would be possible without it.
\- Reliability: timely, accurate, and verifiable
\- Robustness: can stand up to the rigours of time, human frailty, system failure and organizational changes.
A Problem might be that information is poorly gathered, too little, wrong or too much.
To plan information gathering look at:
\- Accountability
\- Data definition
\- Standardisation
\- Quality monitoring
\- Skills
Analysing information can be said to make the raw data meaningful. But beyond that the transformation from information to knowledge is about integrating information into the framework of knowledge already possessed by the decision maker or company as a whole.
Communication involves a process (Formulate -> Transmit -> Receive -> Interpret) which involves what to say, to whom and how to say it. The more focussed this is the more likely it is to be received and made useful. Successful reception is crucial.
Storing information is important as otherwise it is gathered, used and forgotten. You need to look at:
\- The form in which it is originally obtained
\- Volume
\- Who needs to have access?
\- How long to keep it
\- What kind of protection necessary
There are also structural factors to take into account:
Policies, procedures and standards
Information management functions are there to ensure that all these are reviewed and adapted regularly.
Work organisation
How to allocate responsibility and work for carrying out the tasks needed.
System, equipment and materials
Need to be appropriate and need to be designed for ease, speed and accuracy of use.
Training
Routing on the job training most effective